Automatic, continuous freight conveyer



June 19, 1934. J. A. TAYLOR I AUTOMATIC CONTINUOUS FREIGHT CONVEYERFiled Nov. 21, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet l awoewcoz June 19, 1934. J. A.TAYLOR 1,963,567

AUTOMATIC CONTINUOUS FREIGHT CONVEYER Filed Nov. 21, 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet2 Maw June 1934. J. A. TAYLOR 1,963,567

AUTOMATIC CONTINUOUS FREIGHT CONVEYER Filed Nov. 21, 1931 5 Sheets-Sheet3 Fig. 5 5 35 3Q 1" T as f 35 Fig H /V//////// ss g Swovntoz PatentedJune 19, 1934 UNITED STATES.

AUTOMATIC, CONTINUOUS FREIGHT CONVEYER James A. Taylor, Glen Ridge, NJ,

Application November 21, 1931, Serial No. 576,554

Claims.

The loading and unloading of modern ships is one of the most importantand expensive elements in their operation. The transfer of cargo freightfrom pier to ship and vice versa entails 51a great number 'of separateand discontinuous In handling a sling and the cargo itself, not

only is the actual" time of operation important but the immediateremoval of the sling from beneath the pier door is imperative so thatanother sling may take its place without waitingfor the slow unloadingof the sling and the sorting and carting away of its contents. While thesaving of time is one of the principal advantages, no less important isthe great saving in hoist 'men, handlers and 'stevedores and in stackingmachinery and labor obtained by continuous operation and automaticstacking.

The objects of my invention are to provide 'a cargo conveyer for thecontinuous transfer of cargo from the hold of a vessel to any place onthe floor or above the more: a pier and vice versa. Inits preferred formmy device comprises in its broad scope a permanent .jI-beam runwayhaving an inclined section suspendedabove 35.1th'e hold of a, vessel andextending within the pier door and a horizontal section secured to thepier ceiling and extending to a plurality of points'over the pier floor.The construction is such that when the cargo is raised a desireddistance above the hold, a roller carriage secured to the hoist ropejust above the sling or cargo container .automatically engages the.lower flanges of the I-beam runway. The hoist line is lowered and thecarriage automatically de- 7 scends to the horizontal section oftherunway inside the pier where the hoist line is released from thecarriage and returned to the upper end of the inclined runway. Suchhoist line is prevented from falling by roller supports whichv engagethe lower flanges of the I-beam. 'An open trap door at the end of thebeam provides an opening in the flanges for the line support to leavethe flanges and drop free of the same ready to be lowered into the holdfor another sling.

After the hoist line is released the carriage is manually pushed alongthe runway to any desired part of the pier on the main line or alongbranch runways by means of manually operated switches. A drum andhoisting gear on the carriage provide means for'lowering the'sling toany desired point either tothe floor or to a higher tier ofvpiled cargo,thus eliminating expensive stacking machinery and the necessarily largeamount of labor entailed in the stacking process. The return of thecarriages to the hold is accomplished by locking several together by atongue and catch device and drawing them up by the hoist line throughthe trap door. While the application of 'my device is here applied tothe loading and unloading of a ship it is obvious that the device may beused for theloading and unloading of any freight from trains or otherdepositories with slight if any adapta tions for particular purposes andwithout departing from the scope of my invention, and I do not intend tolimit its use to ships or to any particular freight or situation. i e

My said invention is fully shown, described and claimed in the followingspecification, of which the accompanying drawings form a part; wherein,numerals of reference designate like or equivalent. parts wherever foundthroughout th severalviews and in which; Figure 1 is a view of my entiredevice showing the carriage engaged on the runway and the ref lation ofthe deviceto a ship and a" pier. Figure 2 'isfan enlarged side view ofthe upper end of the I-bearns and the shield with the car riage engagedon .the runway. Figure 3 is an enlarged end view of the runway and theshield in cross section on the line aa of Figure'2. i I

l' igure l is'an enlarged sidejview of the car riage and hoisting' andlowering device.

Figure 5 is anenlarged end view of the carriage and hoisting andlowering device.

Figure 6- is an'enlarged' top view of a typical switch from the mainline to side branches of the runway.

Figure7 is a side view of the same.

Figure 8 is an enlarged top view of the carriage showing the device forlocking one carriage to another.

Figure 9 isan enlarged top view of such device.

Figure 10 isan enlarged side view of the device to return the hoist lineto the head of the I-beam.'

Figure 11 is an end view of the same. Figure 12 is a side view of thechain gear wheel and pawl engaging the same.

Referring to the drawings:

My new and improved adjustable, continuous freight conveyer for loadingand unloading cargoes comprises an adjustable I-beam runway 1 (Figs. 1,2 and 3) suspended at its lower end 5 beneath the top of a pier door orother support by a hook 2, and a similar I-beam runway 3 permanentlysecured within the pier or over a storage floor horizontal to and abovethe floor. Plate 4 hinged to the end of 1 overlaps the lower flanges ofthe I-beam 3 forming an adjustable connection between 1 and 3. The beam1 is supported at its upper end by block and tackle 5. The upper end of1 is adjusted so that it will be directly over the hatchway of a ship tobe loaded -or unloaded or over other freight. To steady the upper end of1, guy ropes may be attached to the pier and to the upper end of l, thothis is not usually necessary because the connecting elements of therunway hereafter described allow considerable play. The upper end of theI-beam 1 is provided with a curved shield 6 which is narrowest in themiddle and fluted outward at top and bottom and the outer end (Figs. 1,.2 and 3). Cargo to be transferred is raised or lowered by the usualhoist line 7 which passes through the center of such shield and ismanipulated from the usual cargo boom suspended above the hold. Near theend of the line 7 is secured a .roller carriage 8. In the middle of theshield 6 are proi vided trap doors 9 hinged to the sides of the shieldso that they will normally be flat and closed by gravity .in a straightplane with the lower flanges 10 of the I-beam 1. The hinged edges ofthese doors 9 are slightly further apart than the extreme width of thecarriage 3 and its rollers. When such doors drop down into place theinner edges are slightly further apart than the frame of the carriage.The carriage 8 is provided with four rollers 11 mounted on the arms 12(Figs. 1, 2', 4 and 5). The hinged plate 13 is mounted on the end of theweb of the I-beam l. The lower flanges 10 of the I-beam l are cut awayfor the space of several feet. The free ends of the plate 13 overlap theends of the flanges. The plate 13 is nor- ;mally drawn up out of contactwith the flanges by alight spring 14. The trap doors '9 extend beyondthe hinged ends of the plate 13. When the carriage 8 has been drawn upthrough the trap doors 9 pushing them open such doors drop to the levelof the flanges of the I-beam 1 and are strongly supported in thisposition. The hoist line 7 is then lowered until the rollers 11 rest onthe trap doors which are on the plane of the flanges of the I-beam 1. Asthe hoist line is slackened the carriage will run downward until therollers are past the beginning of the plate 13. Mounted on the arms 12opposite the rollers 11 and inside of the same are the rollers 15. Theserollers 15 engage the plate 13 before the rollers .11 have left the trapdoors. As these rollers 15 press upon the plate 13, the latter will bedepressed until the free end meets the flanges 10 and the rollers 15will roll over the plates and upon such flanges. After the passage ofthe carriage the plate 13 will be elevated by the spring 14 so that whenthe hoist line with or without the carriage is drawn back, the same willdrop 01f the flanges and may be lowered in a straight line to the hold.The hoist line is secured to the carriage 8 by means of the rod 16pivoted at the center of the carriage. The other end of the rod 16 isprovided with a draw bolt 1'7 held in place by a spring 18. The hoistline is provided with a tongue 19 having an eye to engage the bolt 17(Fig. 10). When it is desired to disengage such line the bolt 17 iswithdrawn by inserting a hook in the eye 20 of the bolt 17 andwithdrawing the bolt. Since the rod 16 is pivoted the carriage 8 mayroll upon the I-beam with either end forward. The hoist line and rodwill be depressed beneath the flanges 10 by the friction rollers 21(Figs. 1, 2 and 3) which save wear on such line.

The end of the hoist line is provided with a double set of rollers 22and 23 (Figs. 10 and 11) similar to those of the carriage 8 which willengage the trap doors and the flanges in a like manner. The rollers 22and 23 are carried on an arm 24 which is pivoted so as to providelimited movement of the rollers according to which end of the carriageflrstenters the I-beam. A friction roller 25 is provided to permit thehoist line to be drawn back easily when released from the carriage. Itsfunction is simply to prevent binding of rollers 23 on top of theflanges and the connecting part of arm 24 beneath, as the latter is.pulled up against the flanges along the curved runway when being drawnback quickly. With this device the line may be returned to the end ofthe flanges and be released and will not fall against the side of theship.

When the hoist line has been released from the carriage the latter maybe manually pushed to any part of the pier for unloading the sling. Forthe purpose of raising and lowering such sling, the carriage is providedwith a drum 26 (Figs.'2,

4 and 5 around which a hoist line 2'7 is wound.

with one end secured to such drum and to the other end of which isattached a book 28 forthe sling (Fig. 2). Secured to one end of suchdrum is the gear wheel 29 (Figs. 4 and 5) operated by the spiralcoacting gear 30 secured to the frame of the carriage. The gear 30 isprovided with a toothed wheel 31 on which is mounted an endless'chain 32provided with slots coacting with the teeth of the wheel 31. Coastingwith the teeth of the wheel 31 is the pawl 33 (Fig. 5) which is normallykept out of contact with such teeth by the spring 34. When the sling hasbeen loaded preparatory to hoisting, such pawl 33 is manually engagedagainst a tooth of such wheel and as the load is lifted the pawlprevents the unwinding of the drum and the lowering of the sling.

A plurality of carriages are provided so that a great number of slingsmay be unloaded at one time. To return these carriages and slings to thehold it is desirable to secure them together so that they may be broughtto the pier door and connected to the hoist line. This is accomplishedby providing each end of the carriage with a projecting tongue 35 havinga notched head and a recess 36 (Figs. '8 and 9) partially closed by atrap door 3'7 kept normally shut by a light spring 38. Coacting witheach recess is a corresponding tongue on every carriage so that when anytwo carriages are brought against each other sharply they will be lockedtogether. i

The main runway 3 within the pier is located parallel to and at aconsiderable distance from the sides of the same. In order to distributethe cargo, auxiliary branch runways are provided to all parts of thepier but particularly at frequent intervals along the sides. Switches 39(Figs. 6 and 7) are provided in the runway to connect with such branches.10. Such switches are pivoted to the runway 3 and are locked inposition by the bolt 41 provided with an eye for the reception of a drawhook as in the case of the hoist line connection. The spring 42 tends tokeep the bolt 41 engaged.

l ll) ..the flanges of the I-beam 1.

Since vessels or piled freight maybe of different heights and distancesfrom the hooked support of the runway 2, it is desirable to make therunway 1 in sections secured together by the tongue and slot devices 43and 44 (Fig. 1). When it is desired to have a runway greater or lessthan the usual, thesection supporting the-head is removed and anappropriate one substituted; 'A curved section may be used to adjust thedevice to very large vessels where the space between the pier and thevessel is not great.

The hoist line 7 is operated by the usual type of power winch 45.

The operation of my device is as follows: A sling is loaded in the holdand the hook 28 inserted in the sling ropes. The drum 26 1s turned totighten the hoist line 27 and the pawl 33 pressed into position. Thehoist line 7 is tightened and the car trap doors have fallen into place.The carriage is then lowered until the rollers 11 rest on the doors andthe carriage rolls downward until the rollers 15 press down the plate 13and pass on to The hoist line connecting rod 16 will be depressed andthe hoist line rollers 22 and 23 will engagethe trap doors and flangesof the I-beam 1 in like manner as the carriage rollers. The cargo ropewill follow underneath the I-beam and will pass under thefrictionrollers 21. When the carriage has descended to the end of theI-beam l and to the horizontal I-beam runway 3, the draw bolt iswithdrawn by a hook on the end of a pole and the hoist line is drawnback up the I-beam 1. In the meantime the hinged plate 13 will be drawnupward so that when the hoist line rollers 23 reach the end of theflanges 10, the line will fall free and may be lowered to the hold.

The carriage is then pushed along to the desired destination. If this beto the side of the pier or across the pier the runway switch 39 isunlocked and locked into the branch runway and the carriage propelledalong the same. The sling is now high in the air. The endless chain 32is now pulled slightly and the pawl 33 released out of contact with thetoothed wheel 31. If it is desired to unpack the sling on the floor, thedrum is unwound until the sling reaches the floor but if it is desiredto stack the cargo the sling is lowered only to the top of the pile andthelabor of lifting such cargo will be saved.

When the operation to be performed is that of loading a vesselorelevating freight for any purpose the container or sling is secured tothe hook of the carriage hoist line 27' and the drum is wound upelevating the freight. Thepawl 33 is inserted, the hoist line 7 attachedto the carriage and the line 7 is drawn up by the usual power port 2 iscarried on a cargo mast or boom and' the horizontal part of the runwayeither carried to an appropriate hatch or omitted.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a freight hoist line, a carriagesecured to such hoist line supporting a freight container, a runway forsuch carriage having a head provided with means for 'zontally.

the passage of such'car-riage through such head in an upward directiononly and adapted to position such carriage on such runway and meansforpositioning such head over freight to be elevated. U

2. In a device of the class described, a freight hoist line, a wheeledcarriage and a freight'container secured to such line, and aninclinedrunway for such carriage having atits upper end means forpositioning such carriage on such runway comprising movable rails inline with the 1 runway when such carriage has been raised'above suchrunway.

3. In a'device of the class described, a freight hoist line, a carriagesupporting a freight container which carriage is secured to such line,an inclined runway for such carriage having at its upper end means forpositioning such carriage on such runway comprising movable rails inline with the runway and means for disconnecting such line from suchcarriage, allowing inde'pendent movement of such carriage. r

4. In a device of the class described, a freight i hoist'line, acarriage supporting a freight container which carriage is secured tosuch.line, an inclined runway for such carriage having at its upper endmeans for positioning such carriage on such runway, means for releasingsuch line from such carriage and allowing independent movement of suchcarriage'and means for changing the elevation of such containerrelativeto such carriage after such hoist line has been released fromsuch carriage.

5. In a device of the class described, a freight hoist line, a freightholder suported on a wheeled such hoist line while on such secondsection of such runway comprising a disconnecting link on such carriage.

6. In a device of the class described, a freight hoist line supporting awheeled carriage and a freight container, such carriage being adapted torun on a runway which is adjustably suspended over freight to be hoistedand means for positioning such carriage at a plurality of points over astorage floor. I

'1. In a device of the class described, afreight 1'25;

hoist line, and a carriage secured .to such line supporting a freightcontainer, such carriage being adapted to engage a runway, the uppersection of which is inclined and has a headpositioned over the freightto be hoisted which head is adapted to position such carriage upon suchrunway by means of an adjustable extension of such runway and the lowersection of which is extended hori- 8. In a device of the classdescribed, a runway for conveying freight comprising an inclined sectionhaving its upper end positioned over freight to be hoisted by means ofthe pivotal support of its lower end, a section maintained in a,horizontal position over a freight floor and an adjustable sectionjoining the two other sections.

9. In a device of the class described, a runway for conveying freightcomprising an inclined section having its upper end positioned overfreight to be hoisted by means of the pivotal support of its lower end,a section maintained in a horizontal position over a freight floor, anadjustable section joining the other two sections and a plurality ofsupplemental runways connected to such horizontal section by switches.

10. In a device of the class described, a runway for conveying freightcomprising an inclined section composed of interlocking segments andhaving its upper end positioned over freight to be hoisted by means ofthe pivotal support of its lower end, a section maintained in ahorizontal position over a freight floor and an adjustable sectionjoining the other two sections.

11. In a cargo conveyor, a curved runway supported on a pier having ahead higher than, the support point on such pier and adapted to bepositioned over a hold of a vessel, a cargo hoist line secured to acarriage which carriage supports a cargo container and is adapted toengage such runway, and means for moving such carriage along suchrunway. r

12. In a. cargo conveyer, a curved runway such runway being of suchshape and design that the carriage will descend by gravity over the sideof the vessel to the lowest point of such runway supported on a pier.having a head higher than the support point on such pier and adapted tobe positioned over a hold of a vessel, a cargo hoist line secured to acarriage which carriage supports a freight container and is adapted toengage such runway and means for attaching such line to such carriage,and releasing such line from such carriage.

13. In a cargo conveyor, a runway supported on a pier having a headadapted to be positioned over a hold of a vessel, a cargo hoist linesupporting a cargo container and a carriage attached to such containeradapted to engage such runway, means for releasingsuch line from suchcarriage and means for removing such carriage from such runwayindependent of such hoist line.

14. In a device of the class described, a freight hoisting line having afreight container secured thereto and provided with a carriagesupporting such container, a runway having a head adapted to positionsuch carriage upon such runway, such,

head comprising a guiding hood, trap door runways within such hood forsuch carriage and means for providing a continuous passage for suchcarriage from such trap door runways over the first mentioned runway.

15. In a device of the class described, a freight hoisting line having afreight container secured thereto and provided with a carriagesupporting such container, a runway having a head adapted to positionsuch carriage upon such runway, such head comprising a guiding hood,trap door runways within such hood for such carriage, a movable plateconnecting such trap door runways and the first mentioned runway, meansfor keeping such movable plate normally raised above the first mentionedrunway and blocking the return of the carriage to the trap doors andleaving an carriage to leave the same.

JAMES A. TAYLOR.

